Chapter 47 – Priority

Rｅad ̂õn& ;Ǩàt&R;ead̂ing̈Cａfe​

–

“Alright. If Mari wants to go, let’s go together.”

Whew, that’s a relief. I secretly sighed in relief at Andreina’s words after a moment of contemplation.

I was worried she might refuse, looking somewhat displeased, but thankfully, it didn’t seem like she disliked the idea that much.

I jumped up, not wanting Andreina to change her mind, and shouted.

“Th-Then let’s go right away…!”

“You’re unusually proactive today. Do you like going to the cafe that much?”

“Ugh, i-it’s not like that, you know?”

I retorted, feeling like I was being treated like a child, but the truth was, I did like going to the cafe.

I mean, you get to eat sweet pancakes and drinks there, so why wouldn’t I like it? But my good mood wasn’t just because of that.

It was the first time I could go to a different place with Andreina, who always stayed in the cathedral, saying she had things to do. That fact made me excited.

As I quickly got ready to leave, Andreina and Hosanna also started preparing.

“But are you two really going to go like that?”

“Wh-What, is there something wrong…?”

After getting ready, Hosanna looked at me and Andreina and said that.

I wondered if there was something strange about my attire, so I hurriedly looked around, and Hosanna continued.

“You’re both wearing robes with the hoods pulled down low. If it were just one of you, it might be okay, but if two of you go around like that, you’ll attract a lot of attention.”

At those words, I turned to look at Andreina. Unlike mine, which was made of rough leather, Andreina’s, made of soft fabric, definitely stood out.

Indeed, with such a robe, she would attract a lot of attention. As I nodded with an understanding look, Hosanna said in an absurd voice.

“Mari, I’m just saying, but that includes you too, not just the Saintess.”

“Ye-Yes? I, isn’t my appearance normal…?”

“Wearing all that stuff already makes you not normal, you know? In the first place, who wears robes in the village?”

“Is that so…?”

“It’s not ‘is that so.’, it’s ‘that’s right.’ You might not know it, but you’re surprisingly famous in the village?”

“M-Me?!”

I was so surprised by the unexpected story that I stared in shock, and Hosanna chuckled.

“Well, you go to the dungeon at a specific time every day, hiding your identity, so of course, there would be rumors, right? Especially since you pass through areas crowded with people, it’s only natural.”

“That can’t be…”

Come to think of it, I remembered always feeling eyes on me whenever I passed through the northern district. Thanks to that, I always kept my gaze on the ground and shrank back, but was that what made me such a topic of conversation?

“S-Surely, it’s not like my identity has been exposed or anything…?”

“No, you didn’t even have an identity to hide in the first place.”

“That’s… true…”

In fact, the reason I wrapped myself up in robes was simply because I was uncomfortable with people’s attention. My shoulders drooped at the absurd voice, and Hosanna continued.

“But everyone knows you’re a young girl. They say they saw you with Yuika at the cafe… they could tell because of your voice.”

“Cafe? Ah…”

If they saw me at the cafe, then it couldn’t be helped. As I nodded in agreement, Hosanna shrugged and said.

“It might attract less attention if you took off the robe and wore normal clothes. People are naturally curious when you try to hide something. If you reveal it, they might be interested for a while, but they’ll quickly lose interest.”

“I-Is that so…?”

“So, let’s put the robe in your inventory and change into other clothes. What do you think?”

“I think Hosanna is right, Mari.”

“Ah, even Andreina? Hmm…”

Even Andreina, who had been silent, agreed with Hosanna, and I fell into deep contemplation.

If only Hosanna had insisted, I would have stubbornly stuck to the robe after much consideration, but since even Andreina agreed, I couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

I contemplated for a long time before carefully uttering.

“…Would it be better to take off the robe?”

“I won’t force you. But it’s definitely less likely to attract people’s attention that way.”

At Hosanna’s words, I turned to look at Andreina. Instead of adding anything, Andreina gave a slight smile and nodded. I couldn’t help it. If even Andreina thought so, then it must be true.

“Then… I’ll go change quickly.”

“I’ll help you.”

“Ye-Yes? Th-There’s no need to help…”

“Come on, we can’t make Hosanna wait any longer. Right, Mari?”

“Ugh… that’s true…”

There was really no need to help. My face flushed slightly with embarrassment, but in the end, I couldn’t refuse Andreina.

In the end, I had my clothes changed by Andreina and came back outside.

“Those are pretty clothes. Is that the one Yuika bought you?”

“Ye-Yes… it’s not strange, right…?”

An oversized long-sleeved shirt, a plaid skirt, and a cardigan.

It was a modern fashion that didn’t match the medieval-style background at all, so I was a little nervous.

Yuika, Andreina, and Ms. Miao all said it was cute, but I wasn’t sure how others would see it.

Fortunately, Hosanna gave a satisfied smile and gave a thumbs up.

“Strange? It suits you very well.”

“I-Is that so…?”

“Yeah. I’m sure others will think it suits you too.”

That’s a relief… I let out a small sigh of relief, but Andreina reached out her arm and blocked the space between me and Hosanna.

Andreina? I looked up with a puzzled expression, and Andreina said with a stern expression.

“I’m just asking, but you’re not into that kind of thing, are you, Hosanna?”

“I’ll say it in advance, I’m definitely not, so please rest assured, Saintess. I don’t want to reveal my preferences to prove it, so I won’t, but more than that, are you still holding a grudge over that conversation…”

“You tried to invoke the Lord in vain, so I need to vent this much to feel satisfied.”

“Eh, eh?”

Am I the only one who can’t follow what kind of story they’re talking about, with ‘that kind of thing’ and ‘venting’?

As I looked back and forth between the two with a bewildered expression, Hosanna sighed and said.

“It doesn’t matter when we’re alone, but since we’re already being misunderstood because of one bad guy, please refrain from saying such things in front of others. If the Saintess says that, everyone will think it’s real…”

“That depends on how Hosanna behaves, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, yes. I’ll be careful—shall we get going soon then?”

“Very well.”

Looking at Andreina’s satisfied smile and Hosanna’s slightly tired expression, it was clear who the winner was. But I had no idea what the two of them were competing over to win.

I looked at the two who had started walking and carefully asked, grabbing Andreina’s sleeve.

“Um, Andreina. What was that conversation just now about…”

“Hehe, it’s still a secret for Mari.”

“Yes? A-A secret…?”

Andreina, gesturing with her finger on her lips, was very pretty, but on the other hand, I felt like a stone was falling on my head.

A secret, and a secret just for the two of them, excluding me? When did you two get so close…?! Surely, today is the first time you’ve had a proper conversation, isn’t it?!

Is this the sociability of extroverts… I shuddered as goosebumps ran down my spine and grabbed Andreina’s hand tightly.

“Ah, Andreina. You absolutely can’t leave me out later… really…”

“Why would I leave Mari out?”

Andreina said with a bewildered expression at my words, but I had experienced a similar situation before.

Clearly, the two people I introduced got along better than me and became close in an instant, and then from some point on, they were very, very friendly with each other…! And that was without me!!!

Of course, it’s not like Andreina or Hosanna met through my introduction, but I didn’t want to experience something similar again anyway.

Even then, it wasn’t like I lost a friend or anything, but the feeling of being pushed down the priority list was pretty terrible. As I trembled, recalling my bitter past, Andreina chuckled and squeezed my hand back.

“Are you going to leave me out, Mari?”

“Yes? Th-There’s no way I would. How could I ever, Andreina…”

“Likewise. I like Mari. There’s no way I could leave you out. So, you don’t have to worry about that. Okay?”

“Andreina…”

As I looked at her with a touched expression, Andreina gave a slightly embarrassed smile and took my hand, leading me along.

“Come on, let’s go quickly. Hosanna seems quite displeased.”

“Ah, yes!”

I quickly followed Andreina.

In the end, I failed to find out what the secret was, but it didn’t matter.

Andreina said she liked me, so who cares what the secret is.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you for reading today too!

If you don’t know, this story is going to cater more towards the slice of life aspect~

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Let’s fry an introvert, japanese katsu style~

First, debone your introvert of choice, the— (Content has been judged to be too graphic and thus removed forever.)

Placeholders